CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR on Tuesday suspended nine team members from three teams and fined them $600,000 for alleged race manipulation at Martinsville Speedway.
The penalty was handed down after Sunday’s controversial final at the Virginia circuit. In this final, Christopher Bell was initially booked to advance to the final four of the championship, but his act of running into a wall and using his momentum violated a prohibited safety rule and was disallowed.
This gives William Byron the final spot in this week’s winner-take-all final race at Phoenix Raceway.
The race itself was won by Ryan Blainley.
Chuck Burton/Associated Press
But NASCAR made it clear with Bell’s disqualification that it will take a hard look at the actions of other drivers in the series of events as Bell and Byron compete for the final spot on the championship flat.
In Bell’s case, NASCAR determined that fellow Toyota driver Bubba Wallace faked a flat tire to give Bell room to move out of the way and crash into the wall.
In Byron’s case, NASCAR said both Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon interfered to prevent Byron, also a Chevrolet driver, from losing positions on the track and losing his championship spot. handed down the verdict.
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, said the sanctioning body is considering suspending drivers and taking action against manufacturers Chevrolet and Toyota. He said there was nothing in the rule book calling for penalties against manufacturers, but NASCAR plans to meet with leaders from Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota to discuss the situation.
Because the penalty was issued during the final week of the season, the team has until Wednesday afternoon to seek an early appeal. The appeal is likely to be heard on Thursday.
Trackhouse Racing, which owns Chastain’s Chevrolet, said it will appeal, as will Wallace’s Toyota 23XI.
23XI said in a statement: “We strongly feel that no violations were committed during Sunday’s race.”
The team is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with NASCAR over its charter system, and Tyler Reddick is scheduled to compete for the Cup Series title on Sunday.
penalties imposed
Chastain was fined $100,000, Trackhouse was fined $100,000, and team executive Tony Landers, crew chief Philippe Sargen and spotter Brandon McReynolds were suspended for one race. was punished. Chastain is the last race winner at Phoenix. The team also lost 50 points.
Dillon was fined $100,000, as was Richard Childress Racing. Team executive Keith Rodden, crew chief Justin Alexander and spotter Brandon Benesch were suspended for one race. The team also lost 50 points. Richard Childress Racing also said it would appeal.
Wallace was fined $100,000, as was 23XI. One-race suspensions were given to team executive Dave Rogers, crew chief Robert Barker and spotter Freddie Kraft. The team also lost 50 points.
Sawyer said Sunday that NASCAR will review the Martinsville finish to see if there was actually race manipulation in which rival drivers helped out drivers from the same manufacturer.
But he said he would like to see penalties tough enough to discourage manufacturer partnerships and racial manipulation.
“We looked at the most recent penalties we had created for very similar violations and wanted to enhance this,” Sawyer said. “And we did that because our team leadership and this wanted to send a message that it is the responsibility of all of us to protect the integrity of the sport.”
